Deep Palace Pet Peach Blossom Flawless

Empress Dowager Li asked Concubine Li to stay in the Cining Palace to talk.

Concubine Li moved gracefully and gently served tea to Empress Dowager Li. Empress Dowager Li felt slightly satisfied. Although she was a concubine's daughter, she was calm, elegant and beautiful, and could be considered to have excellent qualifications.

She asked, "Is the emperor treating you well?"

Concubine Li quickly lowered her head to hide the emotion in her eyes: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty treats me very well."

Empress Dowager Li nodded and asked Nanny Li behind her, "Of the seventeen newlyweds, how many have slept with you?"

Nanny Li replied, "Thirteen young ladies have already served in the bedroom. Four of them are staying overnight. The others have been sent back to their own palaces after serving."

Empress Dowager Li nodded. Among Concubine Wen, Concubine Yi, Concubine Li and Concubine Li, these four seemed to be the most favored at the moment.

Lady Li felt a sharp pain and a sourness in her heart, and her fingers in her sleeves had turned white.

Empress Dowager Li looked at Concubine Li and said, "You have been serving the Emperor all night long. You must please him and only then will you become pregnant soon."

Concubine Li froze for a moment, then immediately reacted and said in a whisper, "Yes, Empress Dowager."

Lan Qingwu was dressing up. Concubine Jiang was hosting a small banquet for the other concubines. While there was no need to pay respects to the emperor, the high-ranking concubines in the six palaces would occasionally host small banquets, flower banquets, and the like, to show their harmony. When the three concubines hosted a banquet, the other concubines were obliged to attend unless there was something special going on. While the concubines of lower rank were exempt from attending banquets hosted by the noble concubines and concubines, the concubines of lower rank were obliged to attend.

Lan Qingwu's current position meant she had to attend any banquet. Ru Ping, deftly, divided Lan Qingwu's hair into two halves, then split one of them in half again. She braided the outer strands into a fluffy and beautifully woven petal shape, leaving a few loose strands in the center. She then inserted two rows of white jade hairpins vertically, each placed in the center of each petal. Ru Ping then tied the ends together and secured them. Ru Han watched intently, saying, "I'll learn from you, too."

Finally, they helped Lan Qingwu into her palace attire: an aqua-green skirt with a moon-white underskirt. Pink and white petals would peek out as she moved. Ru Hanxing's eyes were twinkling: "Master, you look great in anything." This outfit was truly elegant and not too eye-catching.

After arriving at De'an Palace and exchanging greetings, the concubines sat in their respective seats. The high-ranking Concubine Jiang and Concubine Chen exchanged greetings, while Concubine Wan was still under house arrest copying the palace rules. The other noble concubines and concubines exchanged witty banter with each other. Lan Qingwu felt impatient and had to focus his attention on the food in front of him.

Sitting above her was Concubine Ye, a concubine taken in by Emperor Shenwu when he was in the Eastern Palace, and also an old veteran in the palace. Concubine Ye squinted for a while and looked at Lan Qingwu sitting below her, only to find it very dazzling. She initially thought that Concubine Yi would not be favored, that she was in an awkward situation, that she was old, and that she had entered the palace because of that situation, and that the emperor was just trying to appease the old ministers. She didn't expect that not only was she favored, but she was also a beautiful woman with excellent temperament.

This made Concubine Ye, who had not been favored for a long time, feel very uncomfortable. Especially since they were both noble ladies, she was given the same rank as herself as soon as she entered the palace, and was given a title as soon as she slept with the emperor. How many years had she endured this? It was really unacceptable. She snorted and turned her head away. Today, she relied on her seniority to sit above Concubine Yi, and Concubine Yi didn't say anything. If it was Concubine Wen... She looked at Concubine Wen, who was sitting above her. Her family background was really good.

It would have been fine if Concubine Ye had turned her head, but the hairpin on her head shone brightly, which suddenly hurt the eyes of Concubine Liang. She closed her eyes for a while, then opened them and said expressionlessly, "Concubine Ye, the hairpin you are wearing is really exquisite!"

Six hundred years ago, the Dasheng Dynasty had stricter moral standards for women. Only concubines of the third rank and above were allowed to wear step-shake ornaments, while those of the fourth to sixth ranks were allowed to wear hairpins, hairpins, and short tassels that were not presumptuous. Those of the seventh to tenth ranks were allowed to wear hairpins, hairpins, and other jewelry that were not presumptuous. Concubine Ye had clearly overstepped the boundaries.

Concubine Ye hurriedly stood up and saluted, saying, "Lady Liang, this is a birthday gift from His Majesty. I put it on today to show it to all the new sisters."

Lady Wen sneered, "Who is your sister? You are overstepping your bounds, yet you still have to drag us into this." How brainless!

Lan Qingwu was also speechless. Was this a show of force for these newcomers?

Concubine Liang looked up and said, "Madam Jiang, Madam Chen, Concubine Ye has run out of jewelry and has nothing to wear. She came here to show it to you, Madam."

Concubine Chen smiled charmingly: "Noble Lady Ye, when did His Majesty give you this as a birthday gift? It's too late for you to wear it."

Concubine Jiang straightened her face and said directly, "Noble Lady Ye, you are overstepping your bounds. His Majesty has granted you a gift on your birthday, so you may only wear it on that day. For this, I will punish you with house arrest for a month and a month of service. Now, return home and be grounded."

Concubine Ye was clearly unconvinced and was about to speak again, but Concubine Jiang's face darkened. "Why? Are you going to report this to His Majesty?"

Concubine Ye froze, and quickly knelt down to bow and take her leave.

The weather was scorching hot, and because of the war this year, none of the six concubines had retreated to the temporary palaces to escape the heat. In the backyard of Suowu Palace, the scenery was beautiful. Lan Qingwu was enjoying the coolness beneath a pink umbrella pavilion. A closer look revealed the pavilion's top covered in emerald green vines. This season, the vines were covered in pink and white flowers. From a distance, it looked like a large pink umbrella, full of beauty and romance.

Ruhan walked into the umbrella pavilion carrying a glass cup and handed the ice drink to Lan Qingwu, "Master, this is iced sour plum juice. It can stimulate your appetite, but don't drink too much."

Lan Qingwu only drank three or four sips and then put it down.

In the afternoon, Emperor Shenwu arrived at Suowu Palace and went straight into the bedroom. Lan Qingwu had just woken up from a nap, with her long black hair disheveled and only wearing pajamas. She had no preparations. Emperor Shenwu had never set foot in Suowu Palace during the day, so she could only pay her respects to him first.

Emperor Shenwu didn't care. He sat on the bed, reached out and pulled her to sit on his lap. Lan Qingwu stiffened slightly and whispered, "Your Majesty..."

There were palace maids kneeling in the hall. Ruping turned around and whispered to them to leave. Soon, only Ruping, Ruhan and Li Xiang were left in the bedroom.

Emperor Shenwu stroked Lan Qingwu's face and asked, "How's your appetite these days? Maybe you'll eat a few more bites."

Lan Qingwu was confused: "It's okay, just like usual. It's hot now, so it's not bad."

She forgot that she could have a few sips of ice drinks when the weather was hot. Her appetite had become accustomed to it now, unlike a few years ago, but Emperor Shenwu disagreed.

Emperor Shenwu frowned slightly and said, "Li Xiang, go summon the imperial physician."

Lan Qingwu clutched his sleeves tightly and lowered his head slightly.

A short while later, Imperial Physician Nie Wushuang arrived at Suowu Palace. After paying his respects, he wished to take his master's pulse and examine the Emperor Shenwu. The Emperor carried Lan Qingwu to the outer hall dining table. Nie Wushuang felt that this young lady was truly favored. It was enough that the emperor couldn't bear to see her kneeling around, even without touching the ground. However, influenced by his master, he was well versed in the ways of the harem, so he kept his mouth shut and his hands steady.

Nie Wushuang knelt beside the table and asked Lan Qingwu to stretch out his hand and put it on the pulse diagnosis table. He then put a layer of gauze on the master's wrist and began to diagnose carefully.